University of Georgia Press Celebrates University Press Week, November 11-17, 2012

This November, the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) will celebrate University Press Week. This week originated in the summer of 1978 when President Jimmy Carter proclaimed a University Press Week “in recognition of the impact, both here and abroad, of American university presses on culture and scholarship.”

The mission of the University of Georgia Press, along with the other 132 members of the AAUP, is to support creative and reliable scholarly communications. In celebration of that mission, November 11-17, 2012 has been designated the first annual University Press Week. University Press Week will highlight the extraordinary work of university presses and their many contributions to culture, the academy, and an informed society.

“As the University of Georgia Press prepares to celebrate 75 years of publishing seriously good books in 2013, we enthusiastically join the AAUP in marking University Press Week and illuminating the immeasurable academic and cultural contributions of university presses everywhere,” said Lisa Bayer, director of the University of Georgia Press.

The University of Georgia Press will kick off University Press Week with a celebration at the Georgia Literary Festival, held November 9-11 on Jekyll Island, GA. University Press Week giveaways will be available at the Press’s booth.

Throughout the week, students, faculty, staff, and members of the community can learn more about the Press and University Press Week by visiting the University of Georgia’s Main Library. Materials about the Press and University Press Week will be on display in the newly renovated entryway to the library.

In the spirit of collaboration that pervades the university press community, the University of Georgia Press and 24 other presses will come together for a blog tour during University Press Week. This tour will highlight the value of university presses and the contributions they make to scholarship and our society.

Harvard University Press launches the tour on Monday, November 12, and it continues coast-to-coast with stops in Canada and Hawaii before ending on Friday, November 16, at Oregon State University Press. The tour comes to the University of Georgia Press’ blog (ugapress.blogspot.com) on Monday, November 12, with a post by Doing Recent History co-editor and Tenured Radical blogger Claire Bond Potter.

In addition to the blog tour, the AAUP and other member presses are planning several features and events for University Press Week. For more information, visit www.universitypressweek.org.

Founded in 1938, the UGA Press is the largest book publisher in the state. It has been a member of the Association of American University Presses since 1940. With a full-time staff of 24 publishing professionals, the Press currently publishes 80-85 new books a year and has more than 1,500 titles in print. It has well-established lists in Atlantic World and American history, American literature, African-American studies, southern studies and environmental studies, as well as a growing presence in the fields of geography, urban studies, international affairs and security studies.
For more information, see http://www.ugapress.org/.